Builders of massive Mississauga-Brampton light rail transit system say concrete must stay warm

In addition to staying on schedule as they work on the massive Mississauga-Brampton Hurontario light rail transit (LRT) project, crews must also ensure the new concrete put in place stays warm during the frigid winter months.

That’s where “frost blankets” come into play.

The large orange tarps that can be seen at various points along the unfinished 18-kilometre LRT route are a type of insulation, and are crucial to the process.

“These are secured to the walls of the maintenance and storage facility and along the roadways to keep concrete warm during the curing process and to protect shoring and soil from freezing while it’s being worked on,” say officials with Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency overseeing the huge project.

Metrolinx officials add the use of “frost blankets” is just one way work crews ensure things keep moving forward during winter.

The “frost blankets” keep concrete warm along all parts of the 18-kilometre Hurontario LRT route. (Photo: Metrolinx)

Crews will be especially busy in the coming months, the project coordinator notes, as key work is being completed in south Mississauga.

Work crews will focus on “push” work at the southernmost point of the Hurontario LRT route, which when completed in fall 2024 will carry passengers from Port Credit GO station all the way north into Brampton.

As the lone underground stop among 19 stops along the line, Port Credit GO saw a significant amount of prep work in 2021.

In total, work crews removed 36,000 cubic metres of earth from the Port Credit site in preparation for a tunnel to be built under the rail tracks and the station itself.

Then, work on the “push box”–the elaborate tunneling system needed to tunnel under the tracks–was started, the huge hole was dug, concrete slabs were poured and a “thrust block” was built.

Now, the next step is to push the tunneling system through and lay the new tracks, project officials say, adding the actual “push” will take place in the coming months.

Work has taken place at nearly all points along the LRT route to date, but many residents may not have even noticed.

“If you don’t live near Hurontario St., you may not realize construction (on the LRT) is already well underway,” say officials with Metrolinx, adding 2021 “was a big year for the project, and 2022 is going to be even more significant.”

The Port Credit GO site isn’t the only place along the route getting prepped for “push” work this year.

Crews will start working on a second “push box” in 2022 at Hurontario St. and the QEW.

Metrolinx says that work will create a new northbound underpass to allow the light rail vehicles (LRVs) to travel underneath the QEW.

Other work on the Hurontario LRT expected to take place in 2022 includes:

• efforts to further protect the 100-year-old Mary Fix Creek in central Mississauga. Work crews will be upgrading the nearby landscape to preserve the creek and nearby communities, and doing work to reduce the potential for flooding
• existing bridges at Port Credit GO station are being replaced
• the Operations and Maintenance Storage Facility near the Mississauga-Brampton border, to be the hub of the new line, will have LRT tracks laid as it nears completion (facility will house a repair shop, storage area and rail vehicle cleaning services)
• construction of the Hwy. 403 flyover will begin. This involves building a bridge or overpass that crosses over the 403. This will help improve traffic flow by separating the LRT from regular vehicle and bus traffic at one of Mississauga’s busiest interchanges. Will also allow LRT riders to access bus connections on Rathburn Rd.
• crews will begin laying the first set of tracks for the LRT in north Mississauga

In early January, the LRT received a huge delivery of rail line to be laid this year.

The first few loads of some 9,000 metres of track–about 100 football fields–were delivered to the Cooksville staging area near Hurontario and Dundas Sts.

In December, more than 3,000 metres of rail was delivered to the project’s Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility.

These are the first of many deliveries that will eventually total 89 kilometres of rail, weighing some 5,000 metric tonnes.

When completed, the Hurontario LRT will link to GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal, and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes. 

The initiative is part of Metrolinx’s long-term vision for an integrated, sustainable transit network connecting the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas. 

Metrolinx recently created a two-minute video to show progress made during 2021 on three of its major projects:

• the Hurontario LRT
• the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto (a separate, but related project is in the works to extend that light rail line to east Mississauga)
• the Finch West LRT in Toronto (which may eventually extend to Pearson Airport in Mississauga)

Metrolinx officials say the three projects have seen “substantial advancements” over the past 12 months. The video, they add, has captured “some of the pivotal points in (the projects’) continued development, including testing and the arrival of light rail vehicles.”